MAIN FEATURES OF DRAGON STRENGTH
A pattern from the original version of the Dragon Strength Set Grandmaster Wong learned from Uncle Righteousness
Question
What are the main features of Dragon Strength, and how is it different from other types of force? Is Dragon force, as seen in this video from 2004, developed through the practice of Dragon Strength Set? Will this skill be taught during the course?
There are some differences between the old video of Sifu performing the Dragon Strength Set, and the new video of Sifu performing the set. How has the Dragon Strength Set changed with your personal skill development and experience?
Sifu Matt Fenton
Answer
The main features of Dragon Strength may be described under four convenient headings – from, force, application and philosophy.
The form of Dragon Strength is typically Southern Shaolin, characterized by “cheong kiew tai ma”, or “long bridges big stances”. The hand techniques are long reaching, and the stances are mainly Horse-Riding and Bow-Arrow, like Shaolin Tantui and Hoong Ka, in contrast to the short-range hand techniques of Eagle Claw and Wing Choon, and the narrow Triangle Stance of Xingyiquan and Fujian White Crane.
The main hand forms of the Dragon Strength Set were the vertical fist and the dragon hand form (sometimes called Two-Finger Zen). To facilitate better chi circulation, I have changed many patterns of the vertical fist to an open dragon palm. The dragon palm is quite different from the willow-leaf palm of Northern Shaolin, like Tantui and Seven-Star. The dragon palm is more relaxed, with the fingers slightly apart and slightly curved, which facilitates flowing force. The willow-leaf palm has the fingers straight and close, which facilitates consolidated force.
I have added the One-Finger Zen hand form and the phoenix-eye fist in a few patterns. Together with the dragon hand form, they are excellent for dim mark.
The force of Dragon Strength, i.e. Dragon force, is very special. It is flowing and very powerful. The name of the set should actually be called “Dragon Force”, but I maintain the Chinese word for strength in the translation. In Chinese (Cantonese) the set is called “Loong Lek Wan Hei Kuen”, or “Long Li Yun Qi Quan” in Mandarin, which is literally “Dragon Strength Circulating Energy Set”.
Dragon force is different from any other types of force, but can be used to train any other types of force! A main reason why we have become so cost-effective in our force training in our school is because of my training in Dragon force which consciously or unconsciously has overflowed into my teaching.
Dragon force is very different from the hard consolidated force of Iron Wire, but it can be used to train Iron Wire force! Indeed, in the Iron Wire courses in Killarney, Barcelona and Las Vegas some years ago, course participants could develop a lot of hard consolidated Iron Wire force in a very short time because I used Dragon force training methods.
On the other end of the range, Dragon force is different from the soft flowing force of Yang Style Taijiquan, but it can be used to train Taijiquan force! Course participants in my numerous Taijiquan courses could develop internal force within a very shot time because I also used Dragon force training methods.
Dragon force is so powerful and versatile that it can be used to train and enhance any type of force. In the coming Dragon Strength course in December we shall apply Dragon force to train and enhance other force training methods, like in Xingyiquan, Wuzuquan, triple stretch and Siu Lin Tou.
As a complete martial art by itself, Dragon Strength can be employed to handle any form of attack. It does not matter whether opponents attack with whatever forms of strikes, kicks, felling and chin-na, there are techniques in the Dragon Strength Set to counter them, although many martial artists may not recognize these counters because these counters have developed to such a sophisticated level that they are not obvious to most people.
This is not a slight on other martial artists. Even for me at a time when I could readily defeat other masters in free sparring, I did not fully understand the subtle combat application of Dragon Strength, and had to use specific counters against specific attacks. In other words, when an opponent attacked me in a certain way, I had to counter in a specific manner. Now I can use any one of the many techniques in the Dragon Strength Set to counter any attack. This understanding evolved as a result of my teaching.
The main form of attack in the Dragon Strength Set is striking. There are only a few kicks, three chin-na techniques and no overt felling techniques, although a master may use some of the Dragon Strength patterns to fell opponents. It is a very special and advanced way of striking, dim mark.
Hence, Dragon Strength represents the pinnacle of kungfu development. The two pillars of kungfu are force training and combat application. Force training has reached its apex in Dragon force which is not only very powerful and fast, but also it can be applied to any other form of force training. Combat application has reached its apex in Dragon Strength where any one of its simple techniques can be used to counter any attack!
This simplicity is the result of sophistication, not the lack of it. In other words, a Dragon Strength practitioner could employ a simple, and profound, technique against any attack after he has learned and practiced numerous sophisticated techniques, not because he does not know them.
More important than combat application is application of Dragon Strength in our daily life, which we are fully aware of but which most other martial artists are not only unaware of but many of them actually harm themselves in their training! The benefits of Dragon Strength training for our daily life will be explained in another answer. Here it suffices to say that we derive a lot of benefits from both its practice and philosophy.
The philosophy of Dragon Strength may be generalize into three main categories:
- Dragon Strength gives us good health, vitality and longevity.
- It contributes to our peak performance in both kungfu and daily life.
- It contributes to our spiritual cultivation.
Doesn’t practicing any other kungfu or martial art set contribute to the three main categories of benefits? No, for the majority of practitioners outside our school, it does not, although many of them say so, like in their publicity!
Indeed, for all those who routinely leave their injuries sustained in free sparring unattended to, it contributes to their pain and suffering, and adversely affects all the three categories of benefits.
The primary factor that contributes to all these benefits is chi flow. Dragon Strength, being the pinnacle of force development where a lot of chi flow is required, is excellent for this purpose.
Knowing this philosophy is very important. Not only it prevents us from wasteful and deviated training, it also helps us to check how well we have benefitted from our dedicated practice. We must not only understand the philosophy intellectually; we must actually enjoy the benefits in practice. Many martial artists may say, and actually believe, that their training contribute to their good health, without realizing they are getting more and more unhealthy the longer they train.
Yes, Dragon force which gives all these benefits, and which is seen in the video is developed through the practice of the Dragon Strength Set. This skill and other beneficial skills will be taught at the course.
Not only they are taught, these Dragon Strength skills will be practiced together so that course participants will have acquired these skills, not merely know the training methods, by the end of the course. This is the reason why, unlike in other kungfu sets posted on my webpages, I have asked course participants not to practice the set in depth but merely go over the routine superficially, so that they will learn and practice these skills afresh, without interference from training methods they already know. Actually, even if initially they do not know the routine of the set, but because they have to practice the set so many times to develop the required skills, they will eventually know the set very well.
Thank you for your perceptive observation which some people may miss. Your question refers to the difference between my performance of the Dragon Strength Set as shown in the 1980s video and my performance now as shown in the 2014 video, and not refers to the set I originally learned (but performed in 2014) as shown in the initial version.
Nevertheless, I shall still briefly describe the difference of the Dragon Strength Set I first learned in the 1950s, and the Set I now practice (and will teach at the December course), before answering your question on the difference between the performance in the 1980s and in 2014.
The crucial difference is that I learned the Dragon Strength Set at a physical level, but now practice it at a mind and energy level. The difference is more visual by comparing the video which shows my performance at a physical level with the video which shows my performance at a mind and energy level.
More important than the visual difference shown by the videos are the benefits derived from practicing the set at a physical level and at a mind and energy level. In combat, at a physical level a practitioner has to use specific techniques against separate combat situations, and he is limited by size, age and gender. In daily life, his physical training does not contribute much to his peak performance in work and play.
Training at a mind and energy level contributes to mental clarity and internal force, which enhance both his kungfu performance and daily life. In combat, he can see his opponents movements clearly, sometimes even sense them before they are physically executed. All aspects of his work and play will be enhanced because of his improved mental clarity and internal force.
Practicing Dragon Strength at a mind and energy level is shown in both the old video of 1980s, and the new video in 2014. There are, however, some noticeable differences.
The old video of 1980s was prepared by Dan Hartwright who has now left our school. The video was edited, with many parts taken out. Like many people, Dan believed that showing a complete exclusive set was exposing its secrets. This belief is flawed. Secrets lie not in the external form of the set, but in many other aspects, like developing Dragon force and lighting speed in this case.
Hence, the new video of 2014 shows the complete set without any edition. Those who want to know its secrets would have to attend the Dragon Strength course. Even if I reveal the secrets of Dragon force and lighting speed of Dragon Strength in writing, readers will not acquire them, and many may not even understand them though they may know the dictionary meanings of all the words in the explanation. Many people outside our school, for example, will not understand what is meant by “use your mind to generate a vigorous chi flow”.
The old video showed my early practice of Dragon Strength when my mind focus and energy control were not as good as they are now. Hence, you will find that my physical movements, engendered by chi and directed by mind, were quite wild, and there were some repetitions. Indeed, when I gave that performance at the University of Science Malaysia in the old video, many people initially thought I was performing a Drunken Eight Immortals set.
The new video shows my performance of Dragon Strength when my mind focus and energy control are well established. More significantly, it is meant to show course participants the routine of the set. I purposely slow down the speed. If I were to perform the set at the speed shown in the old video, many people may not know what the movements are.
The change of the Dragon Strength Set from my early performance to what it is now is the result of my skill development and experience. The old video showed my early attempt to use mind to direct chi to direct physical movement. This was the result of my teaching chi kung and my study of kungfu classics.
I taught students to generate a chi flow. I knew from my study of the classics as well as from my own experience that attaining a chi kung state of mind, or attaining Zen, was necessary. But my control in my earlier years was not as good as it is now. So the resultant physical movements were sometimes out of form, and sometimes spontaneously repeated.
As I grew in my skills and experience, my mind and energy control became better, and the physical forms became more precise and exact. Over the years I also have learned about flowing force and consolidating force. In the old video my force just flowed freely. Now I can consolidate it whenever I want. Consolidating force makes my physical forms more solid and precise.
I also have learned from experience to relate action to purpose. The purpose of the old video was to show mind directing chi directing form, and the purpose of the new video is to show the routine of the Dragon Strength Set. The purposes were achieved quite well by the actions. We can also expect that the coming Dragon Strength course in Penang in December will also accomplish its purpose.
The same pattern Grandmaster Wong has modified to perform the Dragon Strength Set at an energy and mind level
Dragon Strength in Video
Old Version of Dragon Strength
Treasure House of Kungfu Sets
Treasure House of Combat Application
The questions and answers are reproduced from the thread 10 Questions on Dragon Strength in the Shaolin Wahnam Discussion Forum.
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